F i l m S o u n d

So when I assigned myself the task to write a series of articles on ‘Film and Music’, I really neglected to think about how utterly VAST a topic that was, and what exactly my approach would be. Do I devote an entire piece to the history of silent film music moving into the first “talkies”? Do I write about why movie musicals never really connect to audiences? Perhaps those are still to come, but the idea behind this website is to celebrate the culture of music and it’s impact on society. Largely, the site is about collaboration, so it is with that in mind that I wanted start by reflecting on some of the most influential Director/Composer Relationships. This is not a ranked list, nor is it a Top 10 reasons ‘Avatar’ DIDN’T suck type format. Let’s leave that to the sites that have already mastered it. SO without further adieu, the previously mentioned partnerships:

Alfred Hitchcock and Bernard Herrmann:

You may not know Bernard Herrmann by name, but you’ve whistled that tune from “Kill Bill” or hummed the “Twilight Zone” theme. Everyone and their baby sister can shriek the string section of the Psycho Theme. It’s so ingrained in our culture it’s become the international symbol for knife-wielding-death. Try to imagine the shower scene without sound, a muted chase scene in “North by Northwest”.  The two are so married it’s nearly impossible. Hitchcock is renowned for his tempered suspense and often reeling revelations but, truly none of it would be possible without Herrmann’s orchestrations. They add the sense of urgency almost exclusively. As a point of interest, Herrmann demanded to have creative control, or he wouldn’t do the score. He would often visit Hitchcock’s sets to time the music to the scene, and in some cases he’d get such a grandiose idea he’d have Hitchcock trim or add to a scene’s length to suit the music. Largely Hitchcock allowed him the space to do this, but the two had a falling out in the early 70’s on the set of the film ‘Tom Curtain”. (Which I’ll admit I’d never heard of until researching this article) When Hitch tried to make his score more pop oriented to reflect the time Herrmann outright refused, but his longstanding contributions stand out as classics.

"Scene d’Amor” in which Stewart’s character has been chasing a woman he’s convinced he saw die. Could it be her? “What’s real and am I crazy?” The swelling romantic paranoia is completely due to Herrmann’s score.

John Williams and the Hollywood Blockbuster:

How do you even summarize genius? Whether it’s with Spielberg or Lucas, or anyone else, John Williams MAKES movies.  All it takes is two notes and you have a menacing shark. That’s what makes an icon. John Williams IS adventure. He IS romance. He IS suspense.  He’s a villain in Darth Vader. (*Note, John Williams is NOT your Father). He’s a reluctant hero in Indiana Jones. And lets not forget how effortlessly he captured the majesty (and terror) of dinosaurs. He’s the pulse of the action- each films beating heart. The man’s resume is too long (and obvious) to list, but he is perhaps the most influential artist mentioned in this article.  So without further adieu let’s just enjoy what is, in my opinion, his most perfect composition of heart and adventure- the climax of the film “E.T.”

 I mean…how much proof do you need?

Henry Mancini and Blake Edwards:

SO. There used to be this thing called lounge music... Sly. Chill. Sleek. Refreshing. The age of tiki torches and giant mixed drinks. Part Jazz-swing, part easy listening-all groove. It was everywhere, at every party from the mid-fifties to the late sixties. Cinematically speaking ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ is a prime example of style and culture meeting in harmony. This party had everything, so let’s play “How Many things can you Spot”. If the film is to be believed, every raging party should have a cat, horn-dog bleached blonde nerd, man with an eye-patch, a cigarette holder longer than Harry Potter’s wand, a racial-stereotype-of-a-neighbor character played by a hack comedian, a Zebra Skin rug, oh and tons and tons of sloshed people. A party so epic it gets broken up by the cops; even in 1961.

A scene I like to call “Not Since Gatsby”. 

Henry Mancini is the most accessible composer of this music in film. Some of his most recognizable work can be found in the Pink Panther films, The Peter Gunn theme, and the Soundtrack to Breakfast at Tiffany’s (including the more mellow toned “Moon River”). As a director, Edwards was a fan of the physical comedy found in silent films (as is evidenced by Peter Sellers’ comedic style in the Pink Panther films) so coupling that with Mancini’s light and breezy arrangements, proved so fruitful and effortless that they collaborated on 30 films.

Mark Mothersbaugh and Wes Anderson:

Mothersbaugh, who you may know from the group DEVO, or his accomplished career as a visual artist, made his scoring debut with the film ‘Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise’. Yes, I know. He IS a boss. While he and Anderson by no means work exclusively together, they collaborated on Anderson’s first four films. As every good hipster knows, each of Anderson’s film invites you into its own world with style and whimsical platitudes, thanks in large part to Mothersbaugh’s scoring. As much as I hate to use the word whimsical, I think they’d both embrace the word as praise since they have announced plans to open a theme park. Anderson envisions “hundreds of animatronic characters and creatures, rides through vast, invented landscapes and buildings, extensive galleries of textiles and sculptures, plus an ongoing original music score piped-in everywhere…conceived and designed entirely" (by Mothersbaugh).

#Whimsical

Honorable mention: Tim Burton and Danny Elfman

 I mean…look. Guys. We get it. Move on. Diversify. However let’s take a moment to honor the fact that they gifted us with this:

"Anyone else looking forward to Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday?"